What is causing '50p tyre syndrome' on my Ford C-Max?
My Ford C-Max 1.6 TDCI CVT auto has developed a droning noise from the rear axle. It’s been in my local garage twice because I suspected a bearing had gone, but all front and rear bearings are sound and quiet. The garage suggested tyre noise. As the Pirelli P6000 tyres are non rotational I swopped them over, side-to-side and front to back. Now the noise has moved to the front. My local tyre specialist has diagnosed ‘50p tyre syndrome’. Have you heard of it?
Asked on 11 March 2012 by NJ, Carlisle
Answered by
Honest John
Pleased you sensibly and logically isolated the tyres as the cause of the problem. It's a characteristic of low profile tyres. The wider the tyre 'footprint' the more the tyre wears, so the more surface area of the tyre is in contact with the road surface and the more noisy the tyres will be. This tends to start happening after the tyres are two thirds worn. Also the brake pressure compensator valve can malfunction causing the rear tyres to very momentarily lock up on braking and this creates an uneven wear pattern.
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